emissions of air pollutants in Germany
Germany: emissions of air pollutants was 2.46 million tonnes in 2022. ▲ Rising
emissions of air pollutants in Germany, 1750–2022
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2022, emissions of air pollutants in Germany stood at 2.46 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.6% on the previous year and down 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in Germany peaked at 13.30 million tonnes in 1987 and was at its lowest, 2.44 million tonnes, in 2020.
That places Germany 28th out of 220 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 273 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 3.39 million tonnes | 3.38 million tonnes | 3.41 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1760s | 3.42 million tonnes | 3.41 million tonnes | 3.43 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1770s | 3.44 million tonnes | 3.44 million tonnes | 3.45 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1780s | 3.46 million tonnes | 3.45 million tonnes | 3.46 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1790s | 3.47 million tonnes | 3.46 million tonnes | 3.47 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1800s | 3.48 million tonnes | 3.47 million tonnes | 3.50 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1810s | 3.49 million tonnes | 3.46 million tonnes | 3.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1820s | 3.66 million tonnes | 3.52 million tonnes | 3.79 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1830s | 3.96 million tonnes | 3.82 million tonnes | 4.14 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1840s | 4.34 million tonnes | 4.20 million tonnes | 4.46 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1850s | 4.61 million tonnes | 4.49 million tonnes | 4.70 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1860s | 4.92 million tonnes | 4.73 million tonnes | 5.12 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1870s | 5.30 million tonnes | 5.08 million tonnes | 5.41 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1880s | 5.53 million tonnes | 5.41 million tonnes | 5.70 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1890s | 5.96 million tonnes | 5.72 million tonnes | 6.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1900s | 6.81 million tonnes | 6.25 million tonnes | 7.47 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1910s | 7.76 million tonnes | 7.00 million tonnes | 8.51 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1920s | 7.05 million tonnes | 4.85 million tonnes | 8.02 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 6.61 million tonnes | 5.19 million tonnes | 8.20 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 6.37 million tonnes | 2.79 million tonnes | 8.68 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 7.75 million tonnes | 6.94 million tonnes | 8.36 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 10.13 million tonnes | 8.98 million tonnes | 11.40 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 11.77 million tonnes | 11.34 million tonnes | 12.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.68 million tonnes | 11.89 million tonnes | 13.30 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.14 million tonnes | 5.44 million tonnes | 13.29 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.13 million tonnes | 3.20 million tonnes | 5.10 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.08 million tonnes | 2.74 million tonnes | 3.51 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.49 million tonnes | 2.44 million tonnes | 2.58 million tonnes | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More climate change data for Germany
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth -0.0% (2025)
- Population, total 83.49 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.1% (2025)
- Urban population 68.58 million (2025)
- Urban population 82.1% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 6.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 95.14 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 6.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 6.77 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is emissions of air pollutants in Germany?
- Emissions of air pollutants in Germany was 2.46 million tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 13.30 million tonnes in 1987.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.44 million tonnes in 2020.
- How does Germany rank for emissions of air pollutants?
- Germany ranks 28th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 273 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a pollutant produced from the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels such as oil, gas, wood, and coal. CO is a harmful gas that contributes to both outdoor and indoor air pollution.